Into the Dark
by wontyoutakemeaway
Summary: Anna/Aleera. Oneshot. When Anna finally gets the chance to face Aleera once again, she remembers... Rated M just to be safe.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Anna and Aleera, they are fictional characters brought to film by someone far more well connected than me. And I do not own Kate Beckinsale either, though God knows how happy I would be if I actually did.**

This is slightly AU, so for the purpose of reading this story, let's just say that:

_1) In the part where Van Helsing arrives in the village, when Aleera is carrying Anna and then suddenly drops her on the roof of a random house, the ceiling gave way and Anna fell through it, instead of sliding down all the way to the edge of the roof._

_2) After Anna fell, Aleera went almost immediately after her, but none of the other wives followed her. Maybe they were outside kicking Van Helsing's ass for dismantling the OTP that should have been Anna/Aleera. Come on, Vampire and Vampire Hunter who used to know each other a long time ago? It doesn't get any better than this!_

Also, text in _italic_ means flashback, normal style means the present.

Please be kind, this is my first story and I would love it if you guys could review. It's been quite a while since I last saw the movie, so if there are any inaccuracies regarding the storyline, I apologize. Also, English is not my primary language, so if there are any grammatical atrocities, I am most sorry. But please bear with me, I promise that I'll try to make it worth your while!

* * *

Dropping several feet down into a hard wooden floor was truly not Anna Valerious' idea of a pleasant experience, but nevertheless, she felt relief washing through her as soon as she realized she was no longer being harassed by Dracula's demonic wives.

The moment the floor in front of her made a creaking noise and the strands of hair framing her face were softly blown away by a light puff of air, the Valerious sibling knew she had come to conclusions far too soon. Her eyes slowly traveled the short distance between her own feet and that of the woman standing in front of her, until she raised them in order to be at eye level with Dracula's wife.

As Anna looked straight ahead, into the face of terror itself, she reminisced. Catching a glimpse of Aleera's fiery red hair, she thought back to the first time they had ever seen each other.

* * *

_At 14 years of age, Anna was the younger of the two Valerious siblings and just approaching the time in her life when she would have to diligently fulfill her duties as a young woman in society._

_The only problem was she did not want to fulfill the role some long gone ridiculous elder had created for her even before she was born. She was most certain that getting married, having children and looking after husband and offspring could have its merit, and could definitely be the source of a woman's hapiness. But at the same time, she knew that that kind of happiness was not reserved for her, she knew that her kind of happiness was the one that came by doing things and going to places that her husband and children simply wouldn't allow for her to do and go. She had been told countless times to behave in a more ladylike manner, but quite frankly, after the fifth time, she had stopped paying mind to those comments._

_And so it came to be that today she was determined to go out hunting, and by herself at that. She would take her horse and ride a little ways outside the village, and then she would set a trap and see how well she fared. She would already be gone by now, had she been able to find her sword._

_Making a turn to enter the last room on the left, located in the corner of two corridors, she set sight on shiny newly-polished metal and she knew she had found her sword. Anna took a few steps towards the table on which the sword had been set and picked the weapon from its resting place, in order to inspect its sharpness and subsequently leave. Just as her thumb was grazing the blade, she heard a hysterical and girly giggling down the hall and jumped back, slightly spooked and surprised. Anna looked down as she felt the slightest sting on her thumb, mumbled a few inappropriate words, and was so caught up in the process of mentally cursing herself and her stupidity that she didn't notice how much closer the owner of the girly giggling had gotten to her. In fact, she didn't notice the girl's presence at all, and continued not to until the other girl was standing in the doorframe._

_"Are you well?" The other girl asked, having previously taken in the scene before her: seemingly sharp sword, girl clutching her finger, and aforementioned girl scrunching her eyebrows as if she was mentally cursing herself._

_"Uh?" Was all Anna said, as she suddenly looked up. When her eyes were able to focus on the person who had made her the question, Anna wished she would have looked up sooner, much sooner, because the girl in front of her was a sight to behold. Fiery red hair, a perfect contrast to the porcelain white skin, and her brown eyes warm and inviting, just the same as the ruby lips the girl was now parting, silently waiting for Anna to answer the question._

_"Oh, uhm, yes, yes. I am well, uhm, thank you for- for asking, that was very, uhm, kind of you." Anna could barely manage to get a simple answer out, even a pathetic one like the one she just had. After mentally kicking herself for leaving the girl standing there while she was absolutely dumbfounded and speechless for seconds on end, Anna decided that looking like a complete fool was doing her image a great disservice and recomposed herself._

_"As I said, thank you for asking. It was nothing, only a small cut. I heard an unfamiliar voice, was surprised, and became a little distracted. It was nothing but a small scare, really." Doing her best to maintain herself calm, Anna was proud of herself when she was able to bring forth more than ten words without stutterring once._

_"Oh, I am terribly sorry, I think mine must have been the unfamiliar voice. Please allow me to apologize and introduce myself, I am--" Just as the girl was about to tell Anna her name, an ethereal voice interrupted her._

_"This is Aleera. She is... a close friend of mine." Anna found it hard to swerve her attention towards anything which was not Aleera, but she finally succeeded in doing so and found out that the ethereal voice she had heard was, in fact, not ethereal at all. The voice belonged to her brother, Velkan. Had he been standing there all along as well? _

_"Aleera, this is my sister, Anna. Now that you and I will be seeing more of each other, I take it it'd be good for you and her to get to know each other as well. You are the same age, there should be a lot you could talk about." Upon her brother's words, Anna cast her eyes down into the ground, her heart a little heavy with emotion. The meaning behind his hesitation to call Aleera "a close friend" had been lost to her before, but it was certainly not so just now. What could the emotion putting a dark cloak around her heart be? She was certain she had felt it before, but it was only when she was ashamed of something. There was no need for her to feel ashamed now, she hadn't done anything wrong, or had she? Her brother had found a "close friend", as he decided to put it, and Aleera genuinely seemed to be kind and she was obviously beautiful, so Anna should be feeling glad for him. Except that she wasn't, and truthfully, the idea that right at that moment there were only mere inches separating Velkan from Aleera upset her a great deal, for reasons which she couldn't possibly elucidate for the life of her._

_Anna was so taken by her musings that she only noticed the two other people standing in the room again when Aleera took her hand in her own and held it gently._

_"I am afraid there will not be time for us to get to know each other today, I must leave now. Maybe tomorrow, then, I look forward to seeing you when I come visit Velkan." Aleera held her gaze and smiled slightly, warmly as she said her parting words. Anna couldn't see herself then, but she had the feeling that if she could, there would be a faint blush ever so subtly covering her cheekbones, what with Aleera holding her hand, being in close proximity the way that she was and looking into her eyes the way that she was looking._

_"Yes, we shall meet tomorrow, then. Be safe on your way home." Giving one last squeeze to the hand holding hers, Anna let go and let Aleera be on her way with a nod. The other girl returned the gesture and then turned to go._

_Later that night, as Anna lay in her bed, she remembered the parting glimpse of red hair as Aleera left. The thought, somehow, was able to bring a smile to her lips._

_Shutting her eyes, Anna accepted the darkness that took over her and found peace._

* * *

Anna was brought back to the present when she heard growling coming from the woman in front of her.

"Is something distracting you right now, Anna?" Aleera spoke with such venom in her voice that she resembled in nothing the girl that Anna had first met that one day all those years ago.

"No, Aleera, my mind is right where I want and need it to be." With a firm and confident tone, Anna stated the truth, but at the same time recognized that the only thing keeping her own heart in one piece upon seeing Aleera like this were the memories that she had, of the times they had spent in the presence of each other.

"Insolence and defiance, I see you haven't changed a bit!" Once again Aleera growled, this time complementing her verbal answer.

"And you have quite a bit..." Anna softly mumbled under her breath, a sad, nostalgic smile taking over her features as she slowly let her eyes cast a lingering look towards Aleera's mouth.

She had had ruby lips then and she had them now, still. The reasons for that couldn't be any more different, though, in Anna's opinion. Before, Aleera had life running through her, and such were her joy and love of life that they exuded through her every action and word, and ended up showing in her physical appearance as well. Most of all on her mouth, which seemed to reflect in its color the blood pumping through her very veins.

Anna knew, she was well aware of it, that nowadays the only reason Aleera's lips were still ruby was because she had taken the life of others, like Dracula himself had taken from Aleera, in a way. But, still, as her eyes lingered on those lips, Anna simply couldn't help remembering the first kiss she had shared with the other woman.

* * *

_A week ago, Anna, Aleera and Velkan had decided to have a whole day out in the open field. They would leave as soon as the sun was up, take some food with them so they wouldn't need to return to the village to eat and, then, they would return just as the sun was setting._

_Yesterday, the King had wanted to speak with Velkan about a very pressing matter. When Velkan reached his father's chambers, he was told that they were in the iminence of war, and that in order to keep that from happening, Velkan was to travel to the neighboring village and deliver their own clan's message of peace as soon as possible. And so, today, Velkan left at dawn, leaving Anna and Aleera to go on their little expedition by themselves. The King had insisted that the girls take a few of his men with them, but Anna, stubborn as she was, had profusely denied her father's request._

_Aleera had taken the blanket they were supposed to sit and lie on and a mantle as well, in case the temperature dropped as the day went by. Anna had taken the basket with the food. Aleera finished straightening out the blanket so they could sit, and sit they did. They started eating and talking trivialities, and then moved on to other subjects, until they finally reached the topic of relationships._

_"You and my brother have built quite the solid relationship, haven't you?" Anna asked, the upsetting feeling she used to get when she saw the two of them together pushed far back in her mind._

_"Yes, we have. Can you believe, Anna, that it has already been a little over a year since the first day Velkan took me to your castle?" Aleera asked, changing from a sitting position to a lying one._

_"No, I cannot. It has been a year, but, truthfully, I feel like I've known you for much longer than only that." She didn't know why, but Anna felt like maybe she had said a little too much and turned to face the opposite direction from Aleera._

_"It's sweet of you to say that. I feel the same way." Turning to her side, in order to face Anna, Aleera supported her weight on her elbow and continued. "Enough about me, I want to hear about you and your romantic endeavors." With her free hand, Aleera reached out to touch her friend's hand and catch her attention._

_"My romantic endeavors?" With a puzzled expression and an amused smile, Anna turned to the red-haired girl. "Aleera, you know very well I do not have any trysts of my own whatsoever. If I did, you would be the first to know about them." Anna decided to tell her friend a half-truth. The whole truth was that a year ago, the very first time the two had seen each other, Anna had been so enraptured with the red-haired beauty that she had failed to analyze her true feelings for the other girl. She had continued to be oblivious to them up until a few months ago, when she realized that the real reason behind her adoration for the other girl was an emotion that ran far deeper than simple friendship. The first few days after her epiphany had been difficult, especially when she found herself in the presence of Aleera, and Aleera was present very frequently. However, over time, she had learned not to let her feelings show and she had even learned to smile when Velkan leaned in to kiss her friend a little too close to her mouth. The only thing Anna had yet to learn was how to let go of what she felt and move on to try to be happy with another someone._

_"Are you sure, then? I find it hard to believe, Anna Valerious, that with those long, beautiful curls of yours and enigmatic eyes, there haven't been any lads looking to get you hitched. I mean, would you look at those lavish lips? They are just dying for someone to give them a kiss." Aleera made a loud smooching noise in order to stress her point._

_"Aleera, as much as I care about your opinion, you're speaking nonsense. Well, I'll have you know that these lips have yet to be touched by another's." Wishful thinking getting the best of her, Anna smiled sadly as she briefly looked away from her friend's eyes._

_"I cannot believe my ears, you kid me." Opening her mouth with surprise, Aleera waited for confirmation from her friend._

_"You had best believe them, my friend, I kid you not. You see, unlike you, I do not have someone fawning over me during his every waking hour, silently waiting and wishing for a chance to lay one on me." Even though it was true, Anna knew that the real reason she didn't have anyone to do that for her was because she didn't want to._

_"Oh, please, Velkan and I are not like that. The truth is that we have been seeing each other for a year, but we have only kissed as such a few times. Even then, the kisses were of no utmost passion." Dismissing Anna's idea by waving her hand, Aleera took a few seconds to consider her thoughts and continue. "Actually, I was thinking that maybe, if you do not want your first "official" kiss to be a complete disaster, I could show it to you first." At that assertion, Aleera looked up at her friend expectantly._

_Needless to say, upon hearing the proposal of her brother's lady friend, Anna became a nervous wreck. For so long, what the other girl was proposing had been her most intense wish, but now that it was a very real possibility, Anna was frightened to her very bones. After thinking for a few seconds, she threw all caution to the wind and decided on being bold. Trying to steady her voice, she answered. "That was a lovely idea, I think it would be a very valid experience."_

_Aleera, then, sat up and became eye-level with Anna. "Now I am going to come closer to you, and when I do, close your eyes and I will do the same." Aleera inched her face closer, closer and closer... and Anna didn't close her eyes. Aleera said, with a sincere smile. "Your eyes are still open." Anna blushed, and for a second while she looked deep into Aleera's eyes, she thought she saw excitement reflecting back at her. As her eyes darted rapidly from Aleera's to the mouth that was so close to her own, and then back, she added. "As are yours". Aleera still hesitated for a brief second, in which her eyes, too, were turned to the mouth that was so close to hers. Closing the final distance between them, Aleera and Anna finally closed their eyes as their lips met in a chaste kiss._

_To Anna, the experience was indescribable. She had imagined how wonderful it would be to kiss the other girl, but being here, kissing her, she came to the realization that it was pure heaven. The texture and gentle press of Aleera's lips were like nothing she had ever experienced before._

_In Aleera's mind, there was a singlemost thought occupying her conscience. A little begrudgingly, she thought that all those kisses she had shared with Velkan in the past were nothing in comparison to the one she was sharing with his sister now. Anna's soft lips, though unexperienced, were delightfully applying just the perfect amount of pressure to hers._

_Anna, then, decided to move her lips and capture the red-haired's bottom lip between her own. A quiet moan could be heard, though neither girl was sure of who had released it. Aleera moved her hand from the top of Anna's, its resting place up until now, and lightly placed it on the girl's cheek. Anna leaned in to her touch and Aleera took this opportunity to conquer a little more territory with her lips, by taking more of her friend's bottom lip into her mouth. Anna sighed contentedly into Aleera's mouth and took her hand and placed it on top of the other girl's shoulder. Moving her hand ever so slightly from Aleera's shoulder to her collarbone, she continued moving it backwards to its final destination, to the nape of the other girl's neck, where she started moving her fingers in a very gentle manner, playing with the fine hairs there. Aleera felt encouraged by the soft caring touch and tried to deepen the kiss by opening her mouth a little. Anna followed her lead and Aleera could feel the other girl's nails scraping the back of her neck lightly when she did._

_The girls continued to kiss but, unfortunately, the lack of oxygen eventually became an issue. They parted slowly and both kept their eyes closed until they knew they had regained their self-control back completely. Anna was the first to open her eyes and what she saw made her heart sing with hope. In front of her, Aleera had her eyes closed while softly biting her bottom lip, a dreamy expression clearly imprinted onto her face. And then she saw as Aleera slowly opened her eyes, the dreamy expression on her face quickly giving way to the blush creeping up her cheeks, making her the picture of the child caught with her hand in the cookie jar._

_"So... uhm... How was that for a valid experience?" Aleera asked, trying to diverge their attention from her._

_"That was very useful, thank you for showing that to me." Her hand timidly started making its way to the food basket, Anna would grasp at anything right now if it meant avoiding this slightly embarassing conversation. "I seem to have worked up quite an appetite walking here, how would you like some food?" She reached into the basket and took an apple from it._

_As Aleera was reaching into the basket as well, Anna looked at her, and then at the apple she had in her hands, and then at the other girl again. Deciding to be bold for the second time that afternoon, Anna started. "Do you know what I was thinking?" At this, Aleera looked up to meet her eyes. Knowing that she had grabbed the red-haired's attention, she continued. "I was thinking that maybe what you showed me just now is not going to suffice to keep me from looking like a fool. As a friend who is very dear to me, you wouldn't, say, oppose if I asked for another demonstration, would you?" A smile was threatening to take over her features as she asked this._

_"I suppose it wouldn't be out of line to have a bit more practice. After all, as you said, we are friends, and friends wouldn't want each other to go through embarassment and humiliation, and in their first kiss, of all times, now would they?" Aleera was definitely sporting a smile on her face by the end of the sentence._

_"No, they wouldn't." Anna made quick work of putting away the apple in her hand back into the basket, and as soon as she was done, she inched her face a little closer to Aleera's._

_"Oh, they really wouldn't." Aleera made one last conscious effort, that of pushing away the basket so she could be closer to Anna, before she closed the distance between them again._

_This time, their lips met in a much less tame manner. Anna's right hand resumed its position at the nape of her friend's neck and her left one flew to the red-haired's waist, while Aleera used her left hand to move herself closer to Anna and her right one slowly sneaked its way up the other girl's back until it finally stopped on her shoulder blade, her nails digging in ever so slightly into the other girl's flesh._

_After spending an entire afternoon in much the same fashion, they started to head back to the castle. Aleera chose to stay in Anna's room for the night, and so, after they got changed, they went to bed and laid side by side, facing each other. Just before she went to sleep, the last thing Anna laid her eyes on were Aleera's lips, and the memories of how she had nearly kissed them raw earlier that day made her release a content sigh._

_Shutting her eyes, Anna accepted the darkness that took over her and found peace._

* * *

"I know you too well, the look you have on your face. Reminiscing about the good old days, aren't you?" Aleera said, rounding the comment up with a boisterous laugh, seemingly mocking her. Anna knew she should feel hurt, or at the very least upset with the other woman's outrageous display of disrespect. But she didn't. She felt as if the girl who had once given her all those good memories and this monster in front of her right now were two different people, with nothing at all in common anymore.

"Do you know why you do that, Anna? We destroy your village and lay to rest everything your family has worked so hard to accomplish..." After hearing everything Aleera said to her, the brutality and cruelness of the war they had been fighting caught up to her, and tears started making their way down her face. Aleera took in the other girl's silence, thought it resignation and continued. "... and still you reminisce about what it felt like when you had me by your side. Do you want to know why it is that you do that, Anna?"

Anna knew the answer to that question, but she did not want and wouldn't dare to admit it, not to the face of this Aleera-shaped monster, and not to any other version of her which was not the angelical and loving woman she had loved for so long.

"You do that because we were good. We were good together, you and I, and deep down, you know it. And you won't let go of the memories because you hope that someday you and I will be good together again." Aleera, then, morphed into her human form, the one Anna had grown accostumed to in the course of the years leading up to Aleera's transformation into the undead. Anna paid special attention to her eyes, now back to the warm brown color that she loved, and relived yet another memory from their past together.

* * *

_Anna was making her way to the bedroom, she was done for the night. Watching Aleera and her brother kissing and making cooey faces at each other all evening had definitely taken its toll on her and her good mood, to the point where she now felt very indisposed. Anna continued walking until she reached her window and her hands were softly placed on top of the windowsill. She leaned forward in order to get some fresh air, hoping that it would help her ease the knots that had formed in the pit of her stomach throughout the entire afternoon. It wasn't really seeing them together that made her sick, it was knowing that Velkan was not the only one she gave her love and caring to and that his were not the kisses that Aleera secret longed for, long after the lights had gone out._

_Ever since that afternoon out in the field, two years ago, when they had shared their first kiss, the two "friends" had been seeing each other. In order not to raise any suspicions, Anna and Aleera had both agreed that Aleera was not to break it off with Velkan, that plan, however, was having very undesirable consequences on her. __Anna was well aware that everything Aleera did with Velkan in front of her was part of their plan, her actions were nothing but a front shielding them from the wary stares and whispered rumors that were sure to abound if the truth ever did come out. So why then did she feel all this jealousy reigning over her whenever she saw the two of them together? Deep down, somewhere in her heart, Anna knew that her mistrust was unfundamented, but who was to say what really happened between her "friend" and her brother when they were alone? She knew Aleera, and she was almost sure that she could trust her with all her heart, but Anna also knew her brother, and she was certain that he would waste no opportunity to make advances on Aleera, and how exactly Aleera reacted to those, she did not know._

_The thought that Aleera had given herself to Velkan in ways that Anna, herself, was yet to experience with the red-haired woman filled Anna's mind with uncertainty. And right when that thought was on the verge of driving her insane, Anna felt herself being pulled backwards by the arms that had recently settled against her waist, and she knew, instinctively that Aleera was the one respinsible for that._

_"Stop." Aleera said._

_"Stop doing what?"_

_"Stop thinking about that which you were thinking about just now. Anna Valerious, I know you and I've seen the murderous glances you've been throwing at your brother all evening, so allow me to tell you that what you were thinking is complete nonsense."_

_Turning in Aleera's arms, Anna looked straight into her eyes, with a very serious and determined look on her face. "Oh, but is it really nonsense, Aleera? Is it? I know that this is our plan, it has been so for the past two years. And I want to be honest with you, because you mean so much to me." The princess looked down and briefly closed her eyes, trying to win over her emotional exhaustion and find the strength to continue. When she was sure she had done just that, she once again looked into Aleera's eyes. "This, constantly seeing you with him... It is starting to wear me off. I shall reiterate, I know that this is our plan, but it is getting more and more difficult, with each day that passes by, to believe you when you say that nothing serious has happened between the two of you." With tears in her eyes, Anna continued. "After three years of being with him, love, really... I find it hard to believe that you haven't... that you have never... given yourself to him." Anna closed her eyes at that last statement, she could not believe how childish she sounded right now, and she mentally cursed herself for her pettiness._

_"Anna, I... I don't know what to say to you. There's nothing I can say, except for that which I've already told you a thousand times before. My feelings for you run very deeply and when... that..." When she said the word "that" Aleera's cheeks blushed profusely."...finally happens, I will not want it to be with anyone else." She leaned in to give her princess a reassuring kiss, but Anna dodged it and moved away, turning her back to her. "Is this how things are going to be from now on? I try to reach you only to have you pull yourself away from me?" Aleera asked with sadness and hurt evident in her voice._

_"I think that maybe things are going to be for the best, this way." Tears freely flowed down her face as she half-heartedly suggested that. It definitely showed in her tone._

_"No they will not be." Firmness in her voice, Aleera decided to refute Anna's contribution. "They will not." Aleera's voice sounded much nearer in her last statement, and the princess realized the red-haired beauty was standing mere inches behind her. Anna felt the long tresses on her shoulder being moved to behind her back, and she felt a shiver run down her spine when she felt the softest pair of lips pressing themselves against her neck. When Aleera kissed her again, and again, and again, Anna became lightheaded and had to lean her back against Aleera and take one of her hands with her own, too, for support._

_Her voice shaky and husky, and her eyes closed, Anna asked. "Aleera, what are you doing?"_

_Aleera turned the princess in her arms, waited for the other girl to open her eyes and answered. "I am trying to show you how much I care for you, love, how special you are to me. You said it yourself, my words are no longer enough to convince you of that, so I thought I would show you in a more... tangible way."_

_Anna's lips met with Aleera's in a slow and meaningul kiss that rapidly grew into a fiery and sensual one when Aleera begged the other girl for entrance and deepened the kiss. By now Anna and Aleera already had their hands on each other's backs, blindly reaching in order to loosen the strings holding their corsets firm._

_All of a sudden, Anna stopped dead in her tracks and whispered. "The door!... Oh dear Lord, Aleera, someone might have seen us."_

_Shaking her head and smiling at her friend's concern, Aleera explained. "Silly Anna, the first thing I did when I came in was lock it."_

_"Oh well... alright, then." Pausing for a second, Anna considered an idea. "So that means you came in here presumptuously thinking that I would give in to your charming ways so that you could have your way with me?"_

_Aleera answered sheepishly "Well... That was the idea." Regaining a little of her trademark confidence, she added. "Besides, you could never stand a chance against my charms anyway, now could you, dear?"_

_With a sincere smile, Anna said. "No, I couldn't." Looking down at her feet, and then between herself and Aleera, and their somewhat loosened corsets, Anna took Aleera's hand and led her to her bed, motioning for them to sit. "Love, please don't misunderstand me. I do want this to happen between us, but I..." She trailed off, not knowing how to continue, in fear of disappointing the other girl._

_As if reading her mind, Anna completed Anna's previous sentence. "I'm nervous, too, my dear. This is far too special for me and you couldn't possibly believe how afraid I am of doing something wrong, something that'll end up lessening it for the both of us." Anna looked down at their joined hands, feeling the weight of that moment on her heart, until Aleera continued speaking and she looked up at her face once again. "But do you know what I was thinking? This is probably not the only time we will want to do this. There will be more times." Aleera smirked at Anna. "Hopefully, there will be plenty more. So even if things don't go quite as perfectly as we want them to, it will be alright. We will keep trying and eventually practice will make perfection." Aleera waited to see Anna's reaction and was relieved when Anna nodded her head "yes" and gave her a reassuring smile._

_They kissed again and before they progressed much further, they decided it'd be best to deal with their articles of clothing and made as quick work as possible of disrobing one another. When they had finished discarding their clothes, nervousness began to build itself in Anna's stomach once again. The same turmoil started to threaten Aleera, but she was determined not to let it show, for Anna's sake. Aleera placed a light kiss on Anna's forehead and whispered. "I know, I really do. But we'll get through this." This time, when they kissed, they did not stop until quite a few hours had passed._

_Later, when they were both safely sheltered from the cold under Anna's sheets and Aleera was fast asleep, curled into Anna's side with an arm draped across her stomach and her legs intertwined with those of her princess, Anna could hardly contain herself, so immense her joy was. She still couldn't believe how lucky she was, to have an amazing woman such as Aleera by her side. Looking down once more at the face of the angel whose head was resting on her shoulder, Anna yawned and she knew it wouldn't be long until she, too, was fast asleep._

__

_Shutting her eyes, Anna accepted the darkness that took over her and found peace._

* * *

Closing her eyes, she still could remember every single detail about the memory that she cherished so. Every emotion, every touch, every taste, every look had been forever imprinted into her memory that night.

Aleera failed to keep the promise she had made that day, however, that there would be plenty more good times to be had together, for not a week later Dracula took Aleera into his castle and made her what she currently was.

Taking advantage of the other woman's silence, Aleera took a few steps toward her. "You believe we were good together, that is nothing new. However, would you like to know a secret, Anna?" As she said those words, Anna caught sight of something she hadn't seen in Aleera for the longest time since her turning into a vampire. Staring back at her eyes were Aleera's, full of caring and hope, and upon seeing the timid display of emotion in her former friend's eyes, Anna couldn't help herself as she, too, took a few steps toward Aleera to hear all the rest she had to say. "I miss being in your company. I miss the way things were just as much as you do. I miss _us_, too." With that, Aleera slowly lifted her right hand, giving the princess plenty of time to stop her, and placed it on the other woman's face, her thumb lightly stroking Anna's cheek. "And I would love for us to be good again. Together."

And then it dawned on Anna, the reason behind all the hope she had seen in Aleera just moments before. By making the assertion she had just made, the red-haired woman wasn't simply stating one of her heart's wishes, she was asking Anna a question, and begging for a positive answer. Anna considered for a second, and for a second only, before she found that she would be unable to say "no" to the woman standing in front of her. Silently conveying her answer through her eyes, Anna tilted her head slightly, in order to give Aleera more access to her pulse point, and got a contented smile from the vampire. That was the last vision she had as she took one last breath, in preparation for what was to come.

Slowly shutting her eyes, Anna tried to accept the darkness that threatened to take over her, in hopes of once again finding peace.

* * *

Okay, so that's it, what do you guys think? I hope I made it worth your while, like I promised at the beginning!

I know it took forever for them to have all the s-e-x, but I felt that it was appropriate for the time's standards.

Please let me know what you think, if I get a feeling that you guys are enjoying this, I might write a sequel, or something. But bear in mind that if I do, it's gonna be completely AU. =)


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